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From English-only Policy (EoP) to Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education
(MTB-MLE): A Proposed Model for Contextualized Three-Way Immersion
Program in the Philippines
Junnie Armel T. SaludEducation Research Division, Department of Education &
The Graduate School, University of Santo TomasPHILIPPINES
5th International Conference on Language and Education: Sustainable Development Through Multilingual Education
19-21 October, 2016Bangkok, Thailand
Case (Dawe,2014):
July 30, 2013 – Three high school students from Laoag City, Philippines were expelled for
violating the school's English-only policy (EoP). The school cited in its handbook that
“Speaking the vernacular [Iloko] in the campus” is a punishable offense. Though not listed as
an infraction worthy of expulsion, the school deemed the repeated use “inappropriate conduct”
which is considered expellable (Patria, 2013). The expulsion quickly became a hotly debated
topic. Principal Pedro defended the school’s English policy and Reverend Shah wrote, “the
policies we craft and implement in the school are well-intentioned and have the best
interests of our students in mind” (Multilingual Philippines, 2013).
EoP in Philippine Schools
The Scenario
●Two official languages (English and Filipino)●Over 180 native languages●At least 19 recognized regional languages (as of 2015)
The Scenario
English
Filipino Mother Tongue
“Linguistic power struggle is unavoidable, although it may be silent.”
– Wa-Mbaleka (2014)
Language Chaos Theory (Wa-Mbaleka, 2014)
National Language Policies in Basic Education
1908 – English only
1974 / 1987 – English and Filipino
2009 / 2013 – Mother Tongue (per region) from kinder to grade three; English/Filipino afterwards First-language-first policy
Assumptions behind MTB-MLE in the Philippines(Wa-Mbaleka,2014)
1. UNESCO : a) for democratization and b) accessibility - 19 languages (by region) out of 180+?
2. Nationalistic View vs Internationalization View
- How to balance?
Nationalistic Model vs Internationalization Model– Wa-Mbaleka (2014)
Nationalistic Model:
- Filipino is the only language to be used as the MOI until the elementary - Grade 4 to 6 transition stage from Filipino to English- English as MOI for the rest of educational levels
Internationalization Model:
- English as the MOI
The Challenges
Language policy can: ● discriminate learners● favor one language over the other● cause confusion in the classroom
Language policy should:● be flexible● not be prescriptive but dynamic● not alienate a learner
Lubuagan Study (Dumatog & Dekker, 2003)
-Lubuagan as the lingua franca -Trilingual teaching approach-Mother tongue in all subjects including Science and Math for 4.5 hours a day-Filipino and English as specific subjects for one hour each day
-improved student performance and parent participation-strengthened the community's connection to their local roots and culture
Proposed Contextualized Three-Way Immersion Program in the Philippines
Things to consider:
-Creation and implementation of language groups (school-based)-Include child's mother tongue in the LIS (Learner Information System) from the Central Office-More comprehensive language mapping in the Philippines-Express strong support in code-switching-Reduce mismatch (teachers also cross linguistic boundaries) through intensive training-A language policy should be additive and not subtractive
● K-G3 : MOI – child's mother tongue (CMT)
Subject 1 – Region's mother tongue (RMT)
2 – Filipino
● G3-G6 : MOI – CMT / RMT (code switching)
Subject 1 – Filipino
Subject 2 – English
● G7-G10 : MOI – depends on the subject area
Tool subjects (English): English, Math, Science
Others: RMT or CM/RMT (code switching)
Filipino learners who have a strong sense of self-identity, who are
nationalistic but functional members of the international community
*Candy Torres | Retrieved from Pinterest
Points for discussion
● In your own context, how does your current basic education language policy respond to the same challenges?
● In what ways does your current basic education language policy a.) additive and b.) subtractive?
● What is your stand on code switching? Is it practical and realistic?